Collins enthused about slimmed down Olah as well as others for up-tempo offense

The right players have slimmed down (Alex Olah, JerShon Cobb), and the skinniest one has bulked up. Kale Abrahamson added 20 pounds to his 6-foot-7 frame during a summer in which Northwestern basketball underwent a far more dramatic transformation.

Bill Carmody and his Princeton offense are out. Chris Collins is in.

And not only does the 13-year Duke assistant bring a new, up-tempo offense, he promises to be at ease in public settings, drawing laughs for his remarks before a Saturday scrimmage at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Among those expecting to make huge strides under Collins is Olah, the 7-foot sophomore center who is down 15 pounds to 265. He looked good Saturday, hitting an off-balance scoop while cutting across the lane and draining a 3-pointer.

Olah said he gained confidence while playing for the Romanian U-20 team over the summer. He was the team's top scorer and was given the green light to bomb away from the NBA 3-point line.

"He saw the ball go in," Collins said. "And like anything else, when you get results you will have more confidence. And as you can see with his body, he is losing some of that young flabbiness. He's skilled, he's big and we have high hopes."

Collins also has high expectations for guard Tre Demps, who drilled a 3-pointer 10 seconds into the scrimmage.

Asked if Demps will be used to spell point guard Dave Sobolewski this season, Collins replied: "I think we want to do it by committee. With Sobo, Tre and, at times, JerShon, we'll have three guys who can enter our offense.

"Tre did a really good job of keeping it simple (Saturday). When he plays to strengths and takes what the defense gives him, he is a really good player."

Sobolewski said Collins' offense has "a lot of quick-hitting sets, and if we don't have any scoring opportunities in the first 10 to 15 seconds (of the shot clock), we're open and free (to shoot). He is really letting us play. From a player's perspective, it's a lot of fun."

Layups: Orally committed recruits Bryant McIntosh, Vic Law and Scott Lindsey (in a wheelchair while recovering from a broken leg) watched the scrimmage during their official visits. Plainfield East guard Aaron Jordan also took in the action. … Mike Turner, taking a leave of absence from the team, was also among the perhaps 1,000 in attendance. … The Chicago Sports Commission has organized a new event — a tipoff luncheon featuring Northwestern, DePaul, Loyola, UIC and Chicago State that's open to the public at the Hilton Chicago. Tickets for the Oct. 25 event are available at http://conta.cc/15FRs5p.